Citation

Hanna EZ. J. Subst. Abuse 1991; 3(1): 1-11.

Affiliation

Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston 02114.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1991, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

1668224

Abstract

This study examined the contextual drinking patterns of two groups of women drawn from larger samples of nonclinic (from a survey of drinking practices in metropolitan Boston) and alcoholic (from a Boston hospital outpatient alcoholism clinic) women. Clinic women, although reporting an equal number of drinking events as nonclinic women, consume more alcohol in settings outside the normative sphere of influence, thus maximizing the likelihood of drinking in response to internal demands or those of a heavy drinking social intimate. Differences obtained between lighter and heavier drinker categories within the nonclinic group suggest that those women who drink in contexts where heavy drinking is encouraged may be at risk for alcohol abuse. The data are discussed relative to the assumption that increased exposure to and participation in heavy drinking contexts may lead to an increase in alcohol abuse among those nonclinic women who respond to the structural demands of drinking contexts.

Language: en